Christmas Past and Present
by Reboo
Summary: Read if you like its out of season, but I found it on my disk. As normal its about Noin.


Christmas Past and Present

Reboo

rlw1985@hotmail.com or lngwp@oz.zzn.com

She gazed silently at the small town before her from her second floor window in her apartment in Italy. Christmas lights flooded the street with all sorts of colors of lights reminding her of how it had been before her home had been destroyed. The town below now looked like her city once had. Happy, thankful people who seemed to dance in the streets, and small groups of carolers on the corners. This was more like her old home on L2, when her father went on diplomatic meetings to places and took him with her. She snorted slightly at that thought. It was one of the only Christmases she could remember in her childhood, and it had been a funny one at that. 

Her father had finally taken her with him to space that year, if she could remember correctly she was only four at the time but she had been bugging him forever to allow her to come with him. However he had promised they would be home for Christmas, with her mother and the rest of her family. The shuttle on the other hand did not agree with them, and they had wound up putting together a special little Christmas of their own, just the two of them. It was the fondest memory she still held of her father. They had gone out on Christmas Eve and bought a small little tree, one that slightly resembled Charlie Brown's. When they had picked it out however it was one of the only ones left and she had loved it so her father had laughed and bought it. 

That Eve they also went searching through the stores for lights and decorations, being able to find them only at one of the 24 hour shops, that didn't close even for Christmas. They had made the best of it and played shopping cart tag throughout the different aisles even though at the time she couldn't see over the top of the cart. She had fallen asleep on the way home, to her father's house there on L2, so she was not able to decorate the tree, but when she had woken up, it had been the most splendid sight. Her father had decorated the tree in ornaments, garlands, and lights, and underneath it were several gifts just for her, and beside the table laid her father who most have fallen asleep after finishing the Christmas tree. 

She remembered her father telling her clearly that her smile seemed to radiate warmth throughout the room as she opened her gifts, while singing along with the christmas music on the radio. They had called her family that morning after breakfast, which they went out to eat, since her father had burnt his attempted one. Everyone was happy to see them then, wishing them Merry Christmas, and hoping that she and her father would return home quickly.

It was the last happy Christmas she had had as a child. The next year the Alliance had bombed her poor city only days before Christmas, burying her family and her life as she had known it in the ashes around her feet. She poored herself some eggnog and settled herself down on her couch, after putting the radio on. Maybe she could forget that past year's dreadfulness, but for some reason she didn't quite want to so she allowed herself to drift back to her world of memories as she began to hum with the radio.

Their house had been fashioned in the normal décor of any noble family with the halls and rooms decorated with exceedingly expensive decorations. Maids, and other house helpers were all festive at this time of the year, but for some reason she had not been able to shake the feeling of doom, she had tried to tell her family, but none of them would listen too her.

On the night the attacks came they had been sitting in the lounge around the fire, decked out in pajamas and all, and watching the Christmas specials she had always remembered being on at that time of the year. The Alliance had attacked without warning and with everyone caught up in the holiday spirit no one had bothered to think about their security leaving them very vulnerable to Alliance attack, a vulnerability the Alliance had not passed up. She had been the only one to survive. Her parents, older brother, and two younger sisters were all killed in the attack, some how she had managed to escape with her life only to find the world now a more unforgiving place then she had ever known. Of course her being only five and all she hadn't really seen too much of the world but what she had seen now frightened her at that young age. 

Being the strong person she was however she had followed the survivors of the attack that were leaving the area, and spent that Christmas with people she didn't know. However that was a joyous occasion any way as everyone in their group had banded together, singing and dancing despite the weather and the horrible occurrences. 

For several years after that she spent Christmas on the road scrounging around to get what she needed, and doing whatever she could to help the others. However those Christmases were spent detached and not enjoying of the season. Christmases spent at the Lake Victoria Academy while she was a student were grandiose, yet lacked the feeling of a home, even a temporary one at that.

There was the social ball, the big banquet dinner, and of course Zechs, her best friend. He had been what had made those terrible events bearable while she was a student. Although he was continually quiet she had enjoyed his company, and the exchange of conversations they made during those holiday seasons. Often they had watched movies and snuck about to do different things, and on quite a few occasions had caught themselves having possibly a little too much fun poking jokes at some of the nobles that attended Treize's semi-annual ball. Half those jokes had been aimed towards Treize, even though he had been there commanding officer, a chance to make fun of him though was rarely passed up at Christmas time however.

Her favorite Christmas at the Academy had been her last one as a student there. Her and Zechs had skipped Treize's ball paying no heed to his demand that they attended even if it was simply to promote themselves, and took one of the bases motorcycles off base. That night they had wandered the streets of the near by village, taking in all the sights of the lights that they hadn't been able to enjoy before. It had been a spectacular sight to see, she could almost even remember each and every light she had seen. They had paid for their absence later however.

Christmases after that she could not really remember. Maybe to some people that was sad, but to her those Christamses had simply been another day to work. She had always been piled with paperwork, and she had used Christmas to catch up on all of it.

During the first of the Eve Wars, Christmas had been another bloody battle day. The year after that was spent cleaning up the mess Mariemaia's troops had left. She had had help however. Her face rose into a grin at that, for the next two days straight she had spent almost all her time with Zechs Merquise. They were assigned partners, and had somehow wound up getting the brunt of the pickup load to take care of. Although she felt Une had a little something to do with that, even though she was not the one who had assigned the tasks.

Then there was the two years spent on Mars, as they started the large task of the terraforming. Life there had been hectic to say the least, she had taken care of most of the work, with getting materials, and funds, and manning and learning the technology that needed to be used.

Maybe that was why she hadn't minded these last couple of Christmases alone, they were peaceful, and she liked them that way. She gazed out the window. The town did look beautiful tonight, and somewhere down there was Zechs, and his sister enjoying their evening together like they normally did at least this once a year.

Everyone she knew had someone to spend the evening with, but for once she was content to simply be alone. She put her glass on the table, and grabbed the afghan and pulled it around her. Tonight she would get some good sleep, and tomorrow she would go enjoy the parties.

A/N: I know this is out of the season now, but I found it on my writing disk I left at school before christmas vacation so I decided to post it anyway.


End file.
